English Sports Council: Finance

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much Sport England has received in  (a) grant-in-aid and  (b) lottery funding in each year since 1999.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The information is tabled as follows:
	
		
			  £000 
			Sport England grant in aid  SE lottery funding 
			 Outturn 1999-2000 37,523 251,000 
			 Outturn 2000-01 38,323 232,000 
			 Outturn 2001-02 43,162 309,000 
			 Outturn 2002-03 80,324 313,000 
			 Outturn 2003-04 44,572 261,000 
			 Outturn 2004-05 74,456 232,000 
			 Outturn 2005-06 80,971 400,000 
			 Outturn 2006-07 104,245 296,000 
			 Provisional Outturn(1) 2007-08 113,296 227,000 
			 (1 )The accounts for Sport England have not yet been audited.

Child Support

Quentin Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent estimate he has made of the number of outstanding Child Support Agency cases; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: Figures published in the March Quarterly Summary of Statistics tell an impressive story for the Agency. Under the Agency's Operational Improvement Plan, the number of uncleared applications have halved since March 2006 and are now at their lowest point since October 2003.
	Uncleared new scheme applications were down to just under 107,000, their lowest level since September 2003. There were 27,000 uncleared old scheme applications, down 60 per cent. on March 2006.
	The Agency continues to clear more cases per month than it receives.

Children: Maintenance

Don Touhig: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate his Department has made of the number of Child Support Agency cases in arrears that will go uncollected in the next five years.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is the matter for the chief executive. He will write to my right hon. Friend with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 7July 2008:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate his Department has made of the number of Child Support Agency cases in arrears that will go uncollected in the next five years.
	Most child support cases accrue debt once an assessment or calculation has been carried out as the effective date of the assessment or calculation is often backdated and debt accrues from the effective date. It is not possible to provide an estimate of how many of these cases will not have the debt collected in the next five years.
	The Agency takes the collection of outstanding debt very seriously. The focus of the final year of the Operational Improvement Plan continues to be enforcement and compliance, as the Agency strives to increase its debt collection and get more money for more children. Every effort is made to ensure the non-resident parents fulfil their financial responsibility to their children.
	The Agency collected or arranged more than £1 billion in maintenance in the twelve months to March 2008, of which £126m was arrears. This is almost twice the £68 million of arrears collected in the year to March 2005 before the full introduction of the Operational Improvement Plan.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.

Catering: Planning Permission

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance  (a) her Department and  (b) the Planning Inspectorate has provided to local planning authorities on whether catering outlets can open in former retail premises without obtaining a change in use classification.

Iain Wright: Neither the Department nor the Planning Inspectorate has issued any specific guidance on this matter. However, local planning authorities can refer to "ODPM Circular 03/2005—Changes of Use of Buildings and Land" for guidance in relation to the interpretation of the Town and Country Planning (Use Classes) Order 1987, as amended.
	In general, sandwich bars would be able to open in retail premises without the need for planning permission as both of these uses fall within Class Al: Shops of the Use Classes Order. Most other types of catering outlets, such as cafes, restaurants and hot food take-away premises fall into different use classes, and are likely to require planning permission to open in premises which have been in Class Al use.
	It is for local planning authorities to determine in the first instance whether a material change of use has occurred or would occur, and also whether planning permission is required. These decisions need to be made on a case by case basis taking into account individual circumstances.